No Escape (1994 Film Review)

1994 Savoy Pictures
Directed by: Martin Campbell; Written by: Michael Gaylin and Joel Gross (based upon Richard Herley's novel, The Penal Colony)
Starring:Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson, Kevin Dillon, Kevin J. O'Connor, Michael Lerner, and Ernie Hudson
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 118 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 7/10

Marine, J.T. Robbins, walks up to his commanding officer during a drill and shoots him in the head. He gets sent to maximum security prison in a desert, and when he misbehaves there, the skeezy warden drops him on an island that itself is a prison, leaving Robbins there to fend for himself with hundreds of bloodthirsty malcontents. Robbins eventually escapes to a part of the island held by the peaceful "Insiders," run by the kindly "Father." Still, all Robbins wants to do is get off the island and explain his actions. Will he ever? Or will the evil "Outsiders" smash the Insiders' camp and murder them all before Robbins has the chance?
1994's No Escape is a solid 90s action film. If the viewer generally enjoys those, the viewer will likely enjoy No Escape. The movie is an early action attempt by Martin Campbell, who would eventually go on to direct the much better Goldeneye, Casino Royale, and The Mask of Zorro. The material he has to work with here is not quite on the level as what he would just a little later in his career, but the meat and potatoes script formula mostly gets the job done. Ray Liotta, in his first role as a hero, is well cast as a more mysterious lead. Robbins keeps his cards close to the vest for much of the film. He's got a secret the film almost doesn't need to spill, as his frequent, PTSD nightmares give enough detail to explain his actions. The basic "good camp versus bad camp" on an island concept has been done before, but it works for me here. Heavily aiding in that is Stuart Wilson as The Outsider's sociopathic leader. Wilson hams it up and is both hilarious and menacing, a great 90s bad guy. Other 90s stalwarts, like a wizened Lance Henriksen, as the soft-spoken, but authoritative Father, keep the film engaging...keep your eye out for Kevin J. O'Connor--Benny from The Mummy!--playing a less morally dubious version of the slimy, but loveable cockroach figures he'd play later in his career.
This early version of Campbell may not yet be the maestro of the mature action film, but there are signs of his greatness to come throughout. There's an absolutely thrilling and brutal jungle foot chase here (shades of the parkour scene in Casino Royale), ending in a climactic stunt that frankly should have killed the stuntman...I don't know how he survived...it's absurd! There's also a certain "jungle island" vibe inherent in the film that's unique to the 90s (think Jurassic Park or Waterworld) that I particularly enjoy. Overall, No Escape didn't and won't set the world on fire, the reason it's more of a cult action classic than one frequently mentioned. If that's your sort of thing--and it's very much mine--No Escape is easily worth a watch.